


Continue To Live On

by Cyber_Sleuth



Series: A Pirate's Life For Me [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: A whole ton of angst, And a bit of sweetness and funny, Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22448236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyber_Sleuth/pseuds/Cyber_Sleuth
Summary: Ace's death had hit the hearts of many. However, there was one other that his death had made an impact just as harshly as it had on Luffy...And this someone had finally come ta his grave, two years after the tragedy...Rated for faint swearin'.First of a handful from a one-shot/two-shot series.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Original Female Character(s)
Series: A Pirate's Life For Me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1615294
Kudos: 4





	Continue To Live On

**Author's Note:**

> Ace has always been one of my favorites from the series and even after years having passed since his death in the series, he continues to be so and even now, his final moments continue to break my heart. So, here's a tribute to him that I moved from my previous fanfic site, to here for all of you to enjoy...

It's really hard to believe...

...Heh...

Who would've thought that you would actually die, huh?

...Certainly not me...

Staring at the graves before me that were surrounded by a mass of colorful flowers, there was one grave that stood out to me the most. It was the smaller of the two center graves with a sheathed dagger and an orange hat with two facial expression pins hanging against the cross of the stone grave. Even without reading the name on the headstone, anyone that knew you would recognize who the grave belonged to.

...That damn hat always _did_ stand out...

...Damn it...

Chuckling softly in a sour manner with my eyes gently closed, head tilted down, and a pitiful smile upon my features, I couldn't help but to see the irony in all of this. When I had first met you, I honestly couldn't stand you. You were always stronger than me...Always three steps ahead of me in overall skill even though we practically had the same devil fruit powers...Yes, there was only one of any devil fruit type in the world, but apparently there were also a few dark versions of some of the Logia Type fruits...I had found such a fruit it had turned out and yet,...I was still no match for you...

~~~~

_"Man, you are one kid that just doesn't know when ta give up." Sighing in exasperation, he rested a hand on the top of his hat while the other rested on his waist while staring down at the one in front of himself that was currently panting for breath on their hands and knees. This had been their second time crossing paths in just the last week, but this time, the figure before him actually possessed devil fruit powers; a variation of his own in fact, much to his surprise at first. Watching them for a moment longer, he finally gave in and squatted down in front of them to be a bit more eye level if they were to lift their head while his arms rested casually on his knees. "You're still not strong enough ta beat me, you know...But I gotta hand it to ya...You're quite the fighter for someone your size, kid."_

_The figure clenched their fists in the dirt at the continuation of being called a 'kid' and finally shot their head up, glaring at the older man with fire in their bi-colored eyes; the left a deep sapphire blue while the other, a blazing ruby red. Their blue grey bangs fell into those burning eyes and all around their dirty and bruised up face, though the rest of their hair somehow remained up into a short, high ponytail and the lower back portion being in a low braid that halted a few inches down their back. It was then, however, that they lashed out with their right hand, causing the older of the two to quickly leap back; dodging the attack as it was revealed to be a hand shaped into black flaming claws._

_"Shut up..."_

_Slowly pushing themselves up onto their feet, it was shown that the one who had just attacked wasn't just younger, but also quite considerably smaller too...In fact, the younger was very much a girl as her dark orange mid-drift showing top, short green jeans shorts, and tan colored boots that halted a few inches below her knees showed off every bit of their petite, yet lithe frame that belied an immense amount of strength. The completion of her attire were tan fingerless gloves that were two different lengths - one longer than the other - and then green rimmed goggles that hung loosely around her neck like a necklace in a sense. What also seemed to stand out though was the sword on her back that possessed a dark emerald green clothed grip, a brighter emerald sheath that was quite simple in its design, and an equally simple looking bloom shaped guard. However, what looked normal on the outside, was deceiving for what was on the inside, as within the sheath lay hidden a blade that was as black as the very flames she wielded; a demon blade, one would say..._

_Managing to catch her breath, the young girl narrowed her eyes into mere slits as she suddenly pushed off with her right foot and lashed out with her flames yet again, only to be effortlessly countered by the man before her by an engulfment of orange flames from his own hand as he grinned in a cocky fashion down at her. The way he seemed to play with her instead of taking her seriously only seemed to irritate her all the more as she lashed out with her other hand, which was this time actually caught in the man's own other hand by the wrist, halting her flaming claws mere inches from his chest. Blinking slightly at this, the young girl growled and struggled to break free. "Ngh...Let me go you big jerk!"_

_Actually laughing at this, the older pirate shook his head before grinning cheekily down at her. "You definitely have a lot of guts, I'll give you that...Not ta mention stubborn as hell. You remind me a lot of my little brother."_

_It was that last tiny bit that he said that had caused the girl to calm down some and relax in his grip. However, as he released her, thinking she wasn't going to fight anymore, she struck him quickly in the stomach with a non-flaming punch out of pure stubbornness before huffing lightly and crossing her arms over her chest as she scowled lightly and glanced off to the side. "Don' get so damn cocky with me just cause I can't beat you yet."_

_Grunting lightly as he held his stomach for a moment, the black haired young man chuckled lightly before peeking a grey eye open slightly to stare at the young teen before him with a slight smile on his features. "Right. We'll see about that...So...Ya got a name, kid?"_

_Her right ruby eye twitched faintly at the fact that he called her a kid again despite the fact that he was only five years older than herself before casting a glance up at him out of the corners of her eyes. The smile on his face was slightly pained from the punch she had given him a second ago, but...at the same time, the genuineness of that slight smile also showed that he really was curious to know her name._

_"...Pheonix..."_

_~~~~_

It was since then that everytime we happened to cross paths that we'd actually take the time to chat a bit, but also to fight, though it was never anything serious. However, no matter how much stronger I got,...you also seemed to still stay those last few steps ahead of me...It was so frustrating, because you were my goal...I strove to beat you someday...As that year went on though and the crossings between us grew a bit more frequent than it used to be, I started to get confused. The times we had crossed paths weren't all that often, and yet...in the later portion of the year we had known each other, I began to notice that I was seeing you on every island I visited in the Grand Line.

Almost as if...

You were waiting for me...

~~~~

_Arriving on one of the Fall Islands that were within the Grand Line, Pheonix sighed softly to herself as she leaped off of her boat, which was powered by her flames; practically the same kind that Portgas D. Ace used to get around when he went off solo, though her's was an intense shade of emerald green with black edges. Glancing around herself a bit to take in her surroundings, she spotted a village in the slight distance that was built all along the hill directly ahead, but what she also noticed, was at the port further to her left that lead up the along the hill and through the village was a small skimmer boat like her own; one that she knew all too well._

_Narrowing her eyes slightly at this in confusion, she walked over to the port and leaped up onto the stone wall that she had been on the other side of as she squatted there in a manner similar to how Ace tended to sit on railings and such. "...So that flame head is here too?...The hell?"_

_"You know, if I wasn't so sure of myself, I'd swear you were followin' me."_

_The sudden voice directly behind her caused Pheonix to yelp lightly in startlement, only to slip off of the stone wall and crash to the wooden ground of the peer and walkway a bit below her. Groaning slightly in aching pain at the tumble she took, she slowly peeked an eye open, only to see a cheeky grinning young man standing there on the other side of the wall with his arms crossed and resting right where she had been perched just seconds ago. "What the-? Ace! You jerk! What the hell was that for?!"_

_Ace couldn't help but laugh at the reaction he got out of the teen as he tossed his head back some in his laughter. As he calmed back down though, he drifted his grey depths down at the younger girl below him and grinned once more. "Sorry about that, Pheonix, but I couldn't exactly resist. You're pretty easy ta startle when you're so deep in your own thoughts, though sometimes that's not exactly a good thing. After all, what if I had been an enemy after your pretty little head?"_

_Blinking slightly at those remarks, Pheonix blushed faintly at the 'pretty' comment before pushing herself back up onto her feet and glaring defiantly up at him. "I'll have you know that I can sense danger and threats, so I wouldn've been caught by surprise by an enemy, thank you very much."_

_"Oh really now?" A smirk suddenly crossed onto his features as his eyes narrowed a bit slyly and leaned forward a bit more to get a little closer to the girl before him. "And what exactly does that make me then?"_

_Caught slightly off guard by this, she seemed to be a bit surprised by that question in particular. What was Ace, if not an enemy?...A rival? Thinking on this for a moment, she finally glanced off to the side and shrugged faintly. "I dunno...I guess...you're my friend...in a sense..." Shaking her head after saying this, she then brought her gaze back up at the still smirking pirate before her. "Also, I haven' been followin' you at all, though I'm wonderin' how the hell I seem ta be runnin' into you on every island I land on now lately. Maybe it's **you** that's technically followin' **me**."_

_Staring down at the girl for a moment in silence, Ace then closed his eyes and chuckled lightly before opening them back up a bit and smirking once more in an almost taunting, yet teasing manner._

_"Would that be such a bad thing?"_

_~~~~_

Looking back on that day and the question you had asked me,...I can honestly say it wasn't a bad thing at all. In fact, I had grown to secretly like all the times we met. Even during the times you were off searching for that Blackbeard. You told me all about that pirate. Who he was, what he had done, everything. I had told you that I could come along and help, but you turned it down, saying that it was your responsibility to take care of him yourself...Because he had been part of your Division; working under you.

Such an idiot you were...I had wanted to go with you, damn it. I wanted to help you because I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen once you finally found him...

~~~~

_"Ace, don' be such a stubborn jerk! Let me come with you! I can help!" Pheonix stood there with her hands clenched tightly into fists while her sword rested against her back where it usually remained. She rarely used it nowadays, but in a really serious fight, she brought it out; combining it with her flames as the demon blade was unharmed by the intense heat of her black devil fruit power. The man before her had his back to her currently; the tattoo that showed he was part of the Whitebeard Pirates seeming to just stare right back at her for him. Clenching her teeth tightly at this in frustration, she yelled out his name once more. "Ace!"_

_That time, the twenty-year-old pyro user turned his head and glanced down and behind himself from over his shoulder slightly towards the recently turned fifteen-year-old pirate. His eyes were heavy lidded and almost seemed a bit guilty and upset by this. He knew that he was causing this anger within the younger girl that he had come to know greatly over the past year and a half almost, but he couldn't bring himself to let her come with him. It was too risky; he knew that much and just like with his little brother, Luffy, if anything were to happen to the girl behind him, he'd never be able to forgive himself. Ace knew she was strong, but he just couldn't risk it...Not even the slightest bit..._

_However, as he thought about this, he heard the angered 'tch' sound come from the young pirate before she finally turned around and began to storm off. Watching her retreating back was actually painful and the thought of the girl actually hating him was even more so. It was because of those two things though, that Ace whirled around and quickly went after her; grasping firmly onto her wrist as he reached out._

_Pheonix growled at the hand suddenly halting her and turned halfway around to yell at the man to release her. "Ace, you jerk! Let me g-!" That was as far as she managed to get as her eyes suddenly widened in shock and she stood there stock frozen in place. What had caused her to halt in mid sentence was the sudden feel of surprisingly soft lips pressed against her own as she was pulled against the quite a bit taller, toned body; the free hand of the one kissing her bringing itself to rest against her slender waist to hold her in place. She didn't return it, but at the same time, she didn't dare break away either. She didn't even try to._

_Slowly breaking the kiss, Ace opened up his eyes a bit and gazed down into the shocked and confused filled bi-colored depths of the teen he held against himself. He couldn't figure out quite when he actually started feeling this way about the girl, but he knew that one of the causes for it were those very eyes of hers that drew him in...Those unique ruby and sapphire bi-colored eyes. Remaining silent for a moment as he tried to make sure to take in every detail of her face, he allowed himself to lean down once more and brush his lips feather lightly against her own briefly this time before pulling away completely as he stepped back some. "I'm sorry Pheonix, but this really is something I have to do alone...I know you're strong, but I just can't risk putting you in that kinda danger...You're too important to me."_

_Then, before she could react, Ace turned back around and hurried off, heading to the peer that his boat was docked at. All she could do was stand there as she watched his figure fade into the distance while calling out to her one last time._

_However, it was these words that would follow her for the rest of her life..._

_"I'll find you again, Pheonix! I promise!"_

_~~~~_

Kneeling down at the base of your grave, I closed my eyes gently as I chuckled to myself again. I honestly believed you...I thought you were strong enough to handle just about anything.

...So why?

...Why did you lie?

Tears had finally filled the corners of my eyes at this point; threatening to fall, but at this point in time, I couldn't care less even if I had wanted to. Those words you had yelled out to me with echos within my head so often and even sometimes haunts my very dreams... _You_...haunt my dreams...

Clenching my fists slightly, I shake my head and sigh softly. I must look pretty pathetic; beating myself up over this...I was there, you know...At Navy Headquarters. I was fighting right along side of your little brother, your crew - the Whitebeard pirates, and plenty of others. Then again, I'm sure you aren't surprised by that. I knew that you knew I was there; fighting with everything I had to help in saving you...

If...If only I had been stronger...

~~~~

_The sight of seeing Ace get struck by Admiral Akainu with a fist engulfed in lava was a sight that seemed to unfold in slow motion. He had just ultimately sacrificed his own life in order to save his little brother. The mere thought of Ace dieing struck Pheonix hard and as she stood there for a moment, watching as Luffy held onto his bleeding brother and begged him to hold on, she felt a slow crack forming within her heart as she faintly heard the words that Ace was speaking to his brother. However, it was the final words he spoke though - yelling them out for all of his nakama to hear - that, that slowly forming crack suddenly shattered as she watched the man slowly fall out of Luffy's arms; his wounded form hitting the ground below in a puddle of blood._

_Crying out in pure rage, Pheonix rushed in as Akainu went to strike a killing blow on the unconscious and distraught Luffy; lashing out at the much older man as she unsheathed her sword and the black blade immediately ignited into flames. "You murderer! I'll kill you for what you did ta Ace!" Fury and sudden anguish fueled the girl as she fought against Akainu, which in turn had bought Jimbe enough time to scoop up Luffy and rush off to retreat as was everyone else. However, it was the sudden feel of talons grasping her shoulders that caused her assault to jerk to a halt as she was lifted into the air by Marco in his half formed phoenix mode from his Mythical Zoan Type Devil Fruit._

_As she was carried away quickly by the First Division Leader, she weakly tried to struggle out of his firm grasp; to get back to Akainu so she could get revenge. In fact, she would've still been struggling if not for the sudden heartache filled words that escaped the man's mouth while tears tears streamed down his cheeks over the loss of Ace as well as his captain, Whitebeard. "Pheonix, I know how angry you are towards this, but...Ace wouldn't want you to throw your life away. He would want you to live on...Please..."_

_Tears finally filled her own eyes at this and she stopped her struggling all together as she glanced back behind herself to where Ace's lifeless body laid in the distance. It was a hard reality to accept and she would never again be able to try and beat him in a fight, but that last bit didn't matter anymore to her...It had taken her until just moments ago to realize that the man known as Portgas D. Ace had somehow wormed his way into her heart..._

_...And now he would never get to know..._

_~~~~_

A few tears finally escaped as they dropped onto the ground below before I lifted my longer gloved hand and wiped away the tears before lifting my head to stare at the engraving of your name on the headstone. "I never did get to beat you, Ace...I've gotten a lot stronger over the last two years since your death...I'm still having trouble coping with it though, you know?...It still hurts whenever I dream about you. But you know?...It's gotten a tiny bit easier to manage. I don't let it get to me during any fights. I'm still on my own though as a pirate, but I think I might join your little brother's crew at some point. That way, I can watch over him for you."

Sighing softly to myself, I slowly rose up onto my feet and turned around as I lifted a hand and shifted my hat a bit on my head. My attire hadn't changed none and neither had my hair style, but I did lose the goggles in favor of wearing a hat similar to your own and even with those same pins on it, though mine were more off to the side and were an emerald green while my hat was also black and most of the time hung down against my back and the sheath of my sword. As I walked off though, I halted a ways away from the grave and turned my head to glance over my shoulder towards it one last time as I smiled faintly. "...Thank you for all the times we spent, Ace. I'll continue ta live of for the both of us. Oh...And before I forget Ace, you jerk..."

I then closed my eyes gently and managed to bring a cheerful smile onto my features. "I love you."

Opening my eyes back up, I could've sworn I saw you standing there before me at your grave with one hand resting on her waist and the other on the top of your hat with your grey eyes peeking out from under the rim and a cocky smirk playing on your features for an instant in time before vanishing in the next instant. Staring at the grave for a moment longer, I finally faced the front once more as I headed off to where my skimmer boat was. As I did though, a faint warm breeze blew around me and what sounded like words whisped with the breeze causing another faint smile to form onto my lips with my head tilted down slightly; the rim of my hat shadowing my bi-colored eyes.

_"I love you too..."_

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> Before anyone possibly complains about how 'there can only be one devil fruit of each type', yes, I'm very aware of this. However, I had in my head a thought towards 'what if there had actually been dark versions of some of the logia types?'. Thus the creation of black flames came into existence. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this to some extent and I plan to migrate the other parts of this series over her right away along with a few other select choices from the site I retired from; both complete and ones still being worked on.


End file.
